LaTasha DeLoach
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LaTasha DeLoach was an at-large member of the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education in Iowa. The seat was up for general election on September 8, 2015. She defeated candidates Shawn Eyestone, Todd Fanning, Jason Lewis, Brian Richman, Lucas Van Orden and Brianna Wills for the seat with a four-year term.[1][2]
On July 6, 2017, DeLoach announced her resignation from the board beginning July 14, 2017, due to medical reasons.[3] Because a 2017 general election was scheduled roughly two months after her resignation, the board did not make immediate plans to appoint her replacement. Her vacated seat will be up for special election on September 12, 2017.[4]
The controversial closing of an elementary school caused district residents to question the board's 10-year facilities master plan.[5] DeLoach explained her opposition to amending the plan to keep the elementary school in question open.[6]
Biography
DeLoach is a community project specialist for Johnson County Social Services. She is also the creator and co-facilitator for G! World, an organization to support minority girls in schools. DeLoach obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in social work from the University of Iowa.[7]
Elections
2015
Five of the seven seats on the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education were up for election on September 8, 2015. Four seats have a four-year term, and one seat has a two-year term. All seats on the board of education represent the district at-large.
The candidates for the four-year term seats were LaTasha DeLoach, Shawn Eyestone, Todd Fanning, Phil Hemingway, Jason Lewis, Brian Richman, Lori Roetlin, Lucas Van Orden, Brianna Wills and Tom Yates. Incumbents Patti Fields, Jeff McGinness, Marla Swesey and Orville Townsend did not run for re-election. DeLoach, Hemingway, Roetlin and Yates defeated Eyestone, Fanning, Lewis, Richman Van Orden and Wills for the four seats.[1]
Board member Tuyet Baruah resigned from the board leaving an open seat with a two-year term. The candidates for the vacant seat were Christopher Liebig, Paul Roesler and Megan Schwalm. Liebig defeated Roesler and Schwalm for the seat.[1][8][9]
Results
This election was held September 8, 2015.
| Iowa City Community School District, At-Large, 4-Year Term, General Election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 LaTasha DeLoach |
17.5% | 4,316 |
| Phil Hemingway |
14.1% | 3,469 |
| Tom Yates |
13.8% | 3,403 |
| Lori Roetlin |
12.5% | 3,065 |
| Brian Richman | 10.6% | 2,598 |
| Jason Lewis | 10.3% | 2,538 |
| Todd Fanning | 7.5% | 1,833 |
| Brianna Wills | 6.4% | 1,574 |
| Shawn Eyestone | 5.4% | 1,337 |
| Lucas Van Orden | 1.9% | 469 |
| Total Votes | 24,602 | |
| Source: Johnson County Auditor's Office, "School Election Results," accessed November 12, 2015 | ||
Funding
DeLoach reported $5,292.00 in contributions and $5,292.00 in expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, which left her campaign with $0 on hand in the election.[10]
Endorsements
DeLoach received official endorsements from The Gazette, the Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Iowa City Education Association.[11][12][13]
Campaign themes
2015
Position on school closing
The advocacy group Save Hoover asked each candidate, "If you are elected, will you support amending the long-term facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary School open?" Deloach gave the following response:
| “ | As a new parent, I know the hopes and dreams that you develop in your heart from the moment you find out that you will have a child coming into your life.
Along with the hope and the joy of this new addition, you also have worry and fear about all the things in the world that may impede your child's success. You start thinking immediately about who will assist in the education of your child--their first daycare, to preschool, as well as elementary and high school, maybe even the college they will attend. Throughout all these thoughts and concerns, you are focused on your end goal: getting my precious babies through school to adulthood. In an effort to think long term about all of our current Hoover students, and the need for them to attend a comprehensive high school that can compete with any school statewide or nationwide, we must ensure that we have space to expand and improve our oldest high school locally. The FMP is necessary to provide equity to our community. It really bothers me that Hoover and other schools are not updated to meet the needs of every student in the community. We have the best schools in this state and we must maintain and continue to provide this high level of excellence. I am so impressed with the folks who have surrounded the children of Hoover to support them. As a social worker, when looking at supports for children to ensure they are resilient, the number one factor is a supportive and caring adult. These children are surrounded by all of you. I believe it is essential that the district does everything in its power to assist with the transition of students into surrounding schools as well as to inform the families about the transfers of staff to other buildings in our district. You all deserve a increased level of sensitivity because it is a loss to your families. My hope is that as our children transition into other neighborhood schools, we can build a larger, extended Hoover family. There is no reason our schools have to constantly be in competition with one another. This is a great opportunity to strengthen all schools and come together as a community.[14] |
” |
| —LaTasha DeLoach (2015), [15] | ||
Campaign website
Deloach's campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes for 2015:
Equity
| “ | The board has to be a strong leader as we work to improve equity across the district. We need leaders who are willing to have courageous conversations about achievement gaps, discipline policies, and the need for every single child to maximize their personal potential.
In the classroom, teachers need to know that we support and prioritize relationship-building and fostering a love of learning for every child. This means re-evaluating, at a district level, staffing, scheduling, and the demands we put on teachers’ time. At a building level, we need to guarantee that every school in our district is a school that we would be proud and excited to send our children to. Every school is an important part of our district, and each school deserves the support that it needs. All students should enter our secondary schools prepared and ready to graduate on time. As a district, we have to be able to show that children from every background and circumstance can be successful graduates of the Iowa City Community School District. That children are connected to and invested in their schools and their community. That the community comes together to provide strong support to our teachers, staff, students, and families. Improved equity won’t just benefit poor students, or black students, or “disadvantaged” students. Equity benefits us all. Equity is measurable and attainable. It takes patience and commitment and a desire to make our district the best in the nation.[14] |
” |
| —DeLoach's campaign website, (2015), [16] | ||
Facilities
| “ | The community has invested a lot of time and energy in the current facilities plan. It lays out a clear path forward that benefits all areas of our community. We need to keep up this practice of long-term planning and being willing to adjust our plans as the needs of the community change.[14] | ” |
| —DeLoach's campaign website, (2015), [16] | ||
Transparency
| “ | The school board and administration need to communicate clearly with the community at large, not just people who are able to attend school board meetings. When decisions are being made, we need to be plain-spoken and upfront about the process, how to give input, and how decisions will impact families and students. We need to find more effective ways to reach parents who are reluctant to connect with schools. And we need to be open to using our facilities for community collaboration, as this would provide a gateway to helping all families feel connected to the school.
We can improve so that all our communication is inclusive, not just about school board-level decisions, but also the wealth of programs and opportunities the ICCSD provides.[14] |
” |
| —DeLoach's campaign website, (2015), [16] | ||
Curriculum and Student Achievement
| “ | We have too narrow a definition of what “success” means for our students. Broader opportunities for all our students will best prepare them to be successful once they leave our schools. Graduation rates for students of color are shockingly low. The ICCSD needs to be a district where EVERY child can thrive.[14] | ” |
| —DeLoach's campaign website, (2015), [16] | ||
School Funding and Allocation
| “ | Looking at the big picture, we can’t accept our schools operating from a place of scarcity. We have to demand better from state elected officials; they must increase our state’s investment in public education.
A limited pool of resources means that we have to be careful with every dollar we spend. One of the ways we can do that is by asking, “Is the money we are spending on ‘x’ having the impact we want?” Too often we commit to doing things a certain way without stopping to evaluate whether it’s working. I believe that we can make hard decisions in a way that maximizes positive outcomes for students. It takes input from teachers, students, families, and community members to identify the strongest solutions. We also need to make sure that the ICCSD excels as an employer in our community. Our teachers, support staff, paraeducators, grounds crew, IT, food service, maintenance workers— they are our most valuable resources. And they deserve our respect and should be treated accordingly.[14] |
” |
| —DeLoach's campaign website, (2015), [16] | ||
What was at stake?
2015
Five seats were up for election in 2015. Four of the seats came with a four-year term, while one seat had a two-year term. Thirteen candidates ran for the five seats, and no incumbents ran for re-election. Five new members joined the seven-member board.
The 10-year facilities master plan was an ongoing topic for candidates. The closing of a local elementary school was the most controversial aspect of the master plan, and many citizens are calling for alterations to the plan to keep the school open.[5]
Issues in the district
| Position on amending facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary open[6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Click on the candidates' answer to see their full statement regarding the issue. | ||
| Candidate | Position | |
| Four-year term candidates | ||
| LaTasha DeLoach | Oppose | |
| Shawn Eyestone | Oppose | |
| Todd Fanning | Oppose | |
| Phil Hemingway | Support | |
| Brian Richman | Support | |
| Lori Roetlin | Oppose | |
| Lucas Van Orden | Oppose | |
| Brianna Wills | Oppose | |
| Tom Yates | Support | |
| Two-year term candidates | ||
| Christopher Liebig | Support | |
| Paul Roesler | Oppose | |
| Megan Schwalm | Oppose | |
Controversial closing of elementary school
In 2013, the Iowa City Board of Education decided on a 10-year facilities master plan that included the closing of Hoover Elementary School. The school was located in the middle of a mixed-income, residential area. Hoover is set to close after the 2018-2019 school year.
The 2013 facilities master plan called for a new Hoover Elementary School to be finished in 2017. At that time, the new school building will be used as a transition school and house students from other areas while other new elementary schools are being built. In 2019, it would open as a traditional school for the students that previously occupied Hoover Elementary. The plan called for the building to be located further away from the current location at the center of the community.
The advocacy group Save Hoover, spearheaded by candidate Christopher Liebig, raised over $4,000 and collected 800 names on a petition opposing the school closing as of July 2015. Opponents of the school closing felt that the school is essential to the community, and the district did not fully explained the reason for closing it. Residents became more aware of the issue as the closing date of the school drew nearer.[17]
| “ | I think the top concern is retaining the current quality of the Hoover teachers. Giving teachers the incentive to stay, as long as Hoover is open.[14] | ” |
| —Melanie Sigafoose, past president, Hoover PTA, [5] | ||
School board president Chris Lynch responded to concerns that moving schools like Hoover Elementary away from the center of Iowa City would discourage growth in the inner city. He stated that the idea of schools encouraging sprawl on the outskirts of the city is not necessarily true. He reiterated the district's commitment to the core of Iowa City.[5]
| “ | You’ve never seen an investment like right now. You’ve never seen a school board commit to more investment in inner Iowa City than this school board right now. There’s no reason that the schools on the outside of town need to take away from the schools on the inside of town, if we can drive growth across the district.[14] | ” |
| —Chris Lynch, school board president (2015), [5] | ||
Yates, Hemingway, Richman and Liebig are in favor of altering the current facilities plan to keep Hoover Elementary open. DeLoach, Fanning, Lewis, Roetlin, Van Orden, Wills, Roesler and Schwalm support the facilities master plan as it is.[6]
The new school construction, as well as other renovations in the facilities master plan, could be part of a possible bond package that is expected to be presented in 2017.[5][18]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'LaTasha DeLoach 'Iowa City Community School District'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Iowa City Community School District, Iowa
- Iowa City Community School District elections (2015)
- Newcomers and incumbents share the victories in Iowa's largest school district elections (September 9, 2015)
- Analysis of incumbency advantage in the 2014 school board elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Johnson County Auditor's Office, "School Election Results," accessed September 8, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 8, 2015 School Election," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ Iowa City Press Citizen, "DeLoach resigns from Iowa City school board," accessed July 12, 2017
- ↑ Iowa City Press Citizen, "School board declines to fill DeLoach's seat by appointment," accessed July 12, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 KCRG, "Hoover Elementary parents seek more information on reasons for closing school," June 17, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Save Hoover, "Compilation: The School Board Candidates Respond to the Hoover Question," August 16, 2015
- ↑ LaTasha DeLoach for ICCSD School Board, "Home," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County, Iowa, "September 8, 2015 School Election," accessed August 3, 2015
- ↑ Iowa City Community School District, "School Board Members," accessed June 23, 2015
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ The Gazette, "Our endorsements for Iowa City school board," August 23, 2015
- ↑ Iowa City Press-Citizen, "Our View: DeLoach, Hemingway, Lewis, Roetlin and Roesler for School Board," September 1, 2015
- ↑ Iowa City Education Association, "2015 Press Release," accessed September 6, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Save Hoover, "Compilation: The School Board Candidates Respond to the Hoover Question," August 16, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 LaTasha DeLoach for ICCSD School Board, "Issues," accessed August 19, 2015
- ↑ Save Hoover, "Mid-summer campaign update," July 13, 2015
- ↑ The Gazette, "Iowa City school district changes Hoover plan, updates facilities timeline," March 28 ,2015
| 2015 Iowa City Community School District Elections | |
| Johnson County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 8, 2015 |
| Candidates: | At-large (four-year term): • LaTasha DeLoach • Shawn Eyestone • Todd Fanning • Phil Hemingway • Jason Lewis • Brian Richman • Lori Roetlin • Lucas Van Orden • Brianna Wills • Tom Yates At-large (two-year term): • Christopher Liebig • Paul Roesler • Megan Schwalm |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
